Where to find the Best Craft Beer in Malta

When you think of Malta, what are the first ideas that pop into your head? You might think of summer. Malta is a very warm, island country with numerous beaches and boats to hire. You might also think of history. Malta was instrumental in WWII (as my mother told me at least twice before my trip) and boasts some of the oldest temples in the world. I bet you don’t think of all the places to find excellent craft beer in Malta.

Malta? Beer? Ehh??

Yup, it surprised me too. I had planned out three or four blog posts on my return from Malta and writing about beer in Malta wasn’t one of them. But as it turns out, Malta’s local craft beer scene is thriving.

I’ve listed some of Malta’s local breweries below so you can look out for local beer and also some of the best bars for beer in Malta.

Just a note, the bars listed below are all concentrated around Valletta, Sliema and neighbouring towns.

The Best Craft Beer in Malta

The Breweries & the local beers

Lord Chambray Brewery, Mgarr Road, Xewkija, Gozo

Discovering that Lord Chambray beersexisted was such a lovely surprise. It was like “oh, this small country also has a very popular, very cool brewery that is stocked by bars up and down the country, awesome!” I would compare it to Scotland’s Brewdog except they are a little smaller and don’t have their own bars in Malta.

They have six craft beers that are available all year round and many more seasonal, local beers. Unfortunately, you can’t visit the brewery as they don’t host tours but they have a virtual one on their website! I’ll get onto the best bars to find Lord Chambray beer in Malta when I get onto that section.

Simonds Farsons Brewery, Triq L-Esportaturi, Birkirkara

This is definitely not a craft beer brewery, but it is still a Maltese brewery so I thought it was good to mention. Simonds Farson produces Cisk, which is essentially Malta’s most widely served lager. It’s nothing fancy, it’s just a very light smooth lager much like any other and can be found in many bars and restaurants across Malta.

The bar’s name and TripAdvisor reviews would suggest it’s also a mecca for Thai food lovers, but I saw little evidence of that when we visited – maybe just because we visited Malta in the offseason (January) and on a Sunday.

The Pub, 136 Archbishop St, Valletta

Not a great place for craft beer in Malta, but The Pub is one of the most popular pubs for visitors so I thought I’d mention it. This is the Pub I wrote about in my 8 Surprising Things to do in Malta for Film Lovers as it’s where the actor Oliver Reed suddenly passed away.

It’s a British style Pub so there are really odd choices of British-favoured beer and of course Maltese favourite Cisk.

Wild Honey, 127 St. Lucia’s Street, Valletta

This has got to be one of the most hipster places to find craft beer in Malta, but that’s a good thing though! Wild Honey looks almost like a shop front but it has a few seats both in and outside. It has a couple of beers on draft but mainly sells beer in cans and bottles from a fridge.

Wild Honey is so relaxed and it’s decorated very eclectically with records from The Beatles, Deep Purple and all sorts. This was my second favourite place to drink beer in Valletta and I’m about to get onto my first…

Cafe Society, 13 Triq San Gwann, Valletta

Stone IPA is a Berlin-brewed beer but it seemed to be the N.1 craft beer of choice in Malta aside from Lord Chambray. The IPA was stocked in Cafe Society, 67 Kapitali and I’m sure it was stocked in a few other places too.